In Development: The Bodach and the Bees

We’ve learned that the best time to start making something new is when you’re still in the middle of making something else. There’s a particular kind of energy in that overlap; the busy, slightly chaotic feeling of one show finding its feet while another is quietly taking shape in the background. I’d like to say there was a clear reason for doing this, but I think the truth is that there are too many ideas to be explored.

This summer, we’re bringing The Truth About Trees to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe — and we could not be more excited about it. But even as we’re putting the finishing touches to that show, another piece has been growing in the corner of the room, humming away to itself, refusing to wait.

That piece is The Bodach and the Bees.

Where It Comes From

The Bodach and the Bees is a funny and heartfelt play about nature, and about searching for the things your heart is missing.

The bees arrived on the same day that Margret disappeared. In an instant, the swarm was everywhere — in the flowerpots, and in the old man’s hair. The bodach (a Gaelic word for old man) tries to get on with his life as normal. But that’s impossible. The bees won’t rest until they’ve found their flowers. And the bodach won’t rest until he’s found Margret.

These two must find a way to work things out, and learn to lead a normal life — whatever normal looks like now.

On its surface, it’s a play about a grumpy man and the bees, but underneath that, we wanted to explore some important topics. Namely: grief.

Without explaining what has happened to Margret, we know that she has suddenly disappeared and the hole she has left behind is a painful one. In these dark moments it can be difficult to find the joy or the happiness in the world, but the signs are there. As the bodach comes to terms with his new life, the bees seem less frustrating as they originally did.

Go Tell It To The Bees

There is a tradition of telling the bees important information like births, deaths, marriages, and departures. It was believed that if the bees were not told of this important information, there would be some misfortune. This might result in them stopping making honey.

We also know that bees play a pivotal role in pollinating plants. Without them the food and flowers that sustain us will cease to grow and reproduce. It wouldn't take very long for the disappearance of the bees to have a negative impact on our world.

Light The Blue Festival, Aberdeen

We were fortunate enough to share an early version of The Truth About Trees at Light The Blue in 2025. We had a great experience performing, and being a part of family day in Union Terrace Gardens. So we’re really excited to return to the festival and share something new.

We’ll be sharing an early scratch performance of The Bodach and the Bees in Aberdeen, as part of the Light The Blue Festival. We’ll be performing for primary school children — which, if you’ve ever played to that age group, you’ll know is about as honest a test as theatre gets. Primary school audiences do not pretend to enjoy things out of politeness. If it works, they’ll tell you. If it doesn’t, they’ll also tell you — loudly.

Their feedback will be invaluable as we shape and develop the piece going forward. Scratch performances like this are one of the most important parts of our process. They remind us that theatre is genuinely a conversation between the people making it and the people watching it — and that the watching matters just as much as the making.